Sunday, February 26, 2012

Just like breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I believe that your first hour awake is the most important as well. It sets the tone for what the rest of your day will look like. So if you’re one of those people who claim to not be a “morning person”, I strongly encourage you to reassess the way you see yourself and take some serious steps towards becoming one.

I used to snooze for as long as I possibly could, squeezing out every last possible minute of sleep and dreading the moment I had to detach myself from the comfort of my bed. From there I would check my blackberry and browse all of the work emails that were demanding my attention, filling my head with a jumble of stressful tasks and my heart with a sense of worried anticipation. Not even 5 minutes out of bed and I would already be spiraling into a negative emotional state. As I rushed to work and barely arrived on time I would feel like I was one step behind and playing catch up for the rest of the day. Have you ever been there?

Then I started to get up earlier and go to the gym. This simple modification of lifestyle was literally one of the biggest life changing habits I’ve developed so far. First, there’s a change in physiology. Your mental, emotional and physical states are entirely connected and when your body is strong and active the other states will follow its lead. Second, when you’ve already got a great work out in by the time you normally wake up you feel an empowering sense of accomplishment that carries with you throughout the rest of your day. You put yourself in a state of productivity and gain momentum that increases with each new task you face and complete, making you an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

Besides exercising physically, exercising mentally is important as well. Instead of grabbing your blackberry or the daily newspaper first thing in the morning, read an inspiring article or book or watch an uplifting video. The newspaper covers nothing but crime and despair so if that’s the first thing you put into your head you’re going to be in a negative mindset as you start your day. Instead read something from http://tinybuddha.com or http://thedailylove.com or one of the countless other blogs that share great wisdom and stories with the world for free :)

Every day that we are alive is an amazing gift and something to be completely excited about. When that alarm goes off in the morning you have an important decision to make: are you going to snooze for as long as you can and continue to hide from the world? Or are you going to jump out of bed with enthusiasm and embrace the once in a lifetime adventure of today that’s awaiting you? Sleep when you’re dead, cause it’s time to wake up and live!